Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by Shadman:

3.86/5 rDev -1%look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Local 'beer club' offering. Quite hazy and a muted cherrywood in color. Poured this one cold out of my fridge and it still held the most impressive non-nitro head I have ever seen. Thick, creamy off-white.

Floral hop and caramel malt manage to break through the thick cloud of head and reach my nasal passages.

Very nice balance between the sweet fruitiness and caramel malt and the slightly citrus-like hop. A tad bit on the overly sweet side affects my score on the downward side.

More User Reviews:

Appearance: pours out a dark red-brown in colour with a moderate amount of fine carbonation visible. A fantastically thick and creamy one-finger beige head hangs about for quite a time, with great lacing. Looks good. (4.5)

Aroma: definite notes of earth and resin, some bread malts and a touch of some sweet alcohol - perhaps sherry. (4.0)

Taste: a fantastic combination of the characteristics on the nose - earth and resin with bread malts and heavy fruits. (4.5)

Aftertaste: some sherry comes through in the aftertaste, along with the full profile on the palate lingering for quite a time. (4.5)

Mouth feel: medium in body with a moderate carbonation that brings the flavour through nicely - if you decide to let it warm enough. (4.0)

Overall: one of the better beers I have had to date, and certainly one of the best English Bitters. Generally I find English Bitters way over-priced and pretty boring, but this one is full on flavour and a very decent price. An equivalent price of 24 x 330mL case for AU$55 (2014) is almost unheard of for something this good. Surely this must be an introductory price, as this is a new ale to Queensland... (1,217 characters)

Served at Hunger & Thirst in Lancaster PA. This was an excellent presentation of a classic beer. Very pretty dark brown and heady in the glass. Malty but not sweet, also caramel flavors but not sweet; very well balanced. I almost thought I was drinking a heavy lager, this beer was so smooth. (292 characters)

Heavy, dark brown, 16.9 oz bottle, "Best Before 25 Nov 2004" on label. Sampled on 12 Dec 2004. Pours a chill hazed garnet mahogany body with a small, but longlasting, beige head that leaves some nice patch and sheet lace.
Aroma is very floral, with a strong caramel background.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with low medium carbonation. Very clean, with a mineral note that is ideal for the style.
The taste begins with a leafy, hops bitterness that is floral(lilac?). Caramel and buttery toffee offer up a solid malt backbone, and pear and apple notes are picked up midway through. Some hints of mineral that were noticed in the aroma add to the sublime complexity. Finish is clean, with a floral hops aftertaste.
Very well executed English Bitter. Though past the freshness date, it has been stored well and exhibits no hint of oxidation. Wonderful brew from the "Sunrise Coast" of England. (897 characters)

750ml bottle with ADNAMS raised in glas on both the front and back bottoms of the bottoms of the bottle. Best before 26 Nov 04.

I paused briefly after opening the pop top bottle cap on this beer, which was long enough for foam to come spewing out the top the bottle. It hung precariosly from the top, but never dripped down the side of the bottle.

Poured a reddish brown with a nice frothy head with more lacing that I expected, which coated the inside of the glas. I could have sworn I smelled a bit of maple coming from my glass as the sweet ale arrived to my lips. Smooth, sweet and very easy to drink, a fine product from Sole Bay Brewery. (649 characters)

Poured from a 1/2 liter bottle that had been aged for 7 months. Dark golden appearance with a foamy head and lacing. Light, sweet smell that isn't assertive. Taste is great--initially a strong syrup/molasses taste that isn't cloying--honey and herbal floral tastes, honeysuckle. A complex bittersweet, buttery character quickly takes over, crisp but still rather heavy in mouthfeel. Dried fruit--apricots, raisins, currants. Typical taste of ESB and English ales in general of a good toasted breadiness. Overall a little too sweet for my tastes, which makes it a heavier beer than I would like, but I would happily get it again. (628 characters)

Poured a very dark amber with 2 fingers of tan that melted to barely a ring of lace.
Aroma is a typical British Ale yeast and sweet amber malts. Very warm, soft comfortable aroma. I keep stealing another sniff with each sip from the glass and linger over the scent long enough to go...Mmmmm.
Taste is very malty...lots of dark toasted malts that are moderately sweet. Break to a drying hop on the finish but never enough to overpower the wonderful toasty malts that are the base of this beer. (494 characters)

Lightly obscured brown that inches towards maroon. The head is full of large-bubbled pockmarks, frothy and tan.
Aromas of candied apples draped in tobacco, earth and Fuggles.
It smells sweeter than it probably is. It starts off with a rye expression, coupled with a sedate toastiness. It rapidly migrates towards sweet and fruit as this enters its middle. Plum jam, green raisins, apple peels and chewing tobacco. The remarkable part of this, is that it retains enough earthy and dry character to remain balanced, if not leaned in that direction despite the fruitness. Closes with a burst of walnuts, then directs itself unto the smoked herb hopping. Not especially bitter, just....right.
Medium in stature, with microscopic carbonation.
This is a nice one.
For sure.

The Broadside pours a slightly hazy, deep copper body beneath a creamy head of off-white foam that holds well and slowly drops to a wide collar and whispy surface covering, all the while leaving some very nice lace about the glass. The nose delivers earthy, leafy, and grassy hops over a caramelish malt. It's full bodied and creamy in the mouth with a very fine and natural (bottle-conditioned), moderate carbonation that gently caresses the tongue and rouses the tastebuds. Caramel/toffee/nutty malt dominates the flavor, accented by a thin thread of yeasty fruitiness (cherries) and earthy, woody, and grassy hops. It's really well-balanced by a solid bitterness that never steps beyond its supporting role, but anchors the entire production. It finishes dry with some subtle alcohol, a note of yeasty fruitiness, and a residual bitterness that leaves the palate refreshed and ready for food or more beer. Quite tasty!!! And a surprisingly drinkable ale considering it's 6% abv (the draft version is 4.7% abv)! The alcohol remains almost completely cloaked throughout. A bit strong for an all night session ale, but maybe one to get you started! Well worth trying. (1,167 characters)

Poured a half finger of head on a hazy, brown colored body.The aroma is a complex blend of fruit and bread. Apple, plum, wheat bread and fruitcake.The taste is bready and fully loaded on malt, but avoids becoming too sweet. A little lemon bitter in the background. The texture is thick with moderate carbonation.A hefty beer with great flavor. (347 characters)

Rich copper hue with some slight haze and a small off-white head. Caramel malt aroma dominates, some fruitiness and a touch of alcohol. Caramel continues into flavour, combining with strong bitterness, but caramel still dominates. Some alcohol warmth noticeable. Light floral component detectable behind caramel and bitterness. Good body and low carbonation, creamy texture.

Overall strong and warming yet very pleasant drinking. Perfect for a session beer on a cold day. A strong beer with the caramelly maltiness either barely dominating or holding the assertive bitterness in check. (588 characters)